This invention relates to building blocks or panels
The present invention relates to building blocks or panels which are capable of being lockingly interengaged with each other whereby they are positively retained in such engagement and do not necessarily require utilisation of a bonding agent such as mortar or to retain them in engagement. Previous forms of building blocks which satisfy the above criteria are disclosed in Australian patent specifications AU-B-33151/63, AU-B-78872/75 and AU-B-90575/82. The blocks which are described in the above specifications have usually required utilisation of a specialised moulding machine in their formation and have required an accurate maintenance of tolerances. Because of the nature of the blocks a close tolerance was required in the formation of the blocks and a minor variation from the required tolerances could result in a significant misalignment when a number of blocks were laid due to a compounding of the variation as each block was laid with the others. In addition, difficulties with the building blocks of the prior art referred to above related to the circumstance that blocks do not readily lend themselves to being laid in a wall whereby the vertical junctions between adjacent blocks in one course can be offset from the vertical junction of adjacent courses.
The present invention is intended to provide a building block which does not rely upon the utilisation of a complex machine or apparatus to form the block and in which tolerances in the formation of the block need not be as precise as those as the tolerances which have been required in respect of the building blocks disclosed in the above mentioned patent specifications.
The preceding discussion of the background to the invention is intended to facilitate an understanding of the present invention only. It should be appreciated that the discussion is not an acknowledgement or admission that any of the material referred to was part of the common general knowledge in Australia as at the priority date of the application.
According to one aspect the invention resides in a building block or panel having a shape of a parallelepiped comprising four edge faces and two opposed major faces, said edge faces being formed to be interlockingly engagable with the edge faces of similar building blocks, each edge face comprising a first lateral zone located to one side of the central longitudinal axis of the respective edge face and a second lateral zone located to the other side of the central longitudinal axis of the respective edge face, the first zone of each edge face being formed with a recess and the second zone of each edge face being formed with a projection of a complementary configuration to the recess of the first zone, the recesses on opposed edge faces being of corresponding configuration wherein, each recess has a base which is substantially parallel to the respective edge face and each recess has opposed end faces which are of complementary profile, are substantially parallel to each other and are inclined with respect to the edge face.
According to a further preferred feature of the invention the recess on each edge face is located substantially centrally along the edge face.
According to a further preferred feature of the invention the recess has a width substantially corresponding to the width of the first zone.
According to another aspect the invention resides in a building block or panel having a shape of a parallelepiped comprising four edge faces and two opposed major faces, said edge faces being formed to be interlockingly engagable with the edge faces of similar building blocks, each edge face comprising a first lateral zone located to one side of the central longitudinal axis of the respective edge face and a second lateral zone located to the other side of the central longitudinal axis of the respective edge face, the first zone of each edge face being formed with a recess and the second zone of each edge face being formed with a projection of a complementary configuration to the recess of the first zone, the recesses on opposed edge faces being of corresponding configuration wherein, each recess has a base which is substantially parallel to the respective edge face, the open face of each recess which is in opposed relationship to the base is located substantially centrally along the respective zone, each recess has opposed end faces which are of complementary profile, are substantially parallel to each other and are inclined with respect to the edge face, the recess having a width substantially corresponding to the width of the first zone.
According to one preferred feature of the invention, the configuration of one pair of edge faces are of corresponding configuration with the formation of each zone on one edge face being reversed in relation to the formation in the corresponding zone of the opposed edge face.
According to a further preferred feature of the invention each opposed end face is substantially co-planar.
According to the further preferred feature of the end faces are inclined with respect to the edge face. According to one particular embodiment, one end face is inclined at an angle of 45xc2x0 to the edge face and the other end face is inclined at an angle of 135xc2x0 to the edge face.
The invention will be more fully understood in the light of the following description of one specific embodiment.